St. Vincent Botanic Gardens

The botanic gardens at Kingstown were established in 1765 to propagate plants of economic value for the colonies, which makes them the oldest botanic garden in this hemisphere, and their most famous acquisition arrived in 1793 when William Bligh landed breadfruit seedlings brought from Tahiti on his second attempt, the first having ended in the mutiny on the Bounty. A tree said to descend from that landing still stands. An aviary holds the endemic St Vincent parrot.

History

Letters between General Robert Melville and the island surgeon Dr George Young show that on 15 December 1765 commissioners were told to set aside six acres for a garden to try out useful plants, a garden Melville financed privately. Surviving catalogues show it growing from 52 plant genera in 1773 to 769 in 1792 and 1,311 by 1806, and William Bligh brought breadfruit here around 1793 (Wikipedia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens).

What's there

• The Bligh breadfruit - a tree descended from the 1793 landing of the Tahitian seedlings.
• The 1765 foundation - the oldest botanic garden in the western hemisphere.
• The parrot aviary - the endemic St Vincent parrot in the breeding programme.
• The specimen trees - the mature planting across the twenty acres.

When to go

Year round; the gardens open daily during daylight. Mornings are cooler and better for the aviary. Rain is frequent at any season.

Before you go

Guides at the gate are keen and a fee is expected whether or not you wanted one. The aviary is small and the birds are not always visible. Labelling is inconsistent.

Nearby

Kingstown is below, and Fort Charlotte is above.

Key facts